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Writing Across the Curriculum Research Project

In what ways does writing enable students' learning acroos the curriculum?  This is the central question driving a research project at the University of Virginia.  Several teacher, graduate students and Professor Jane Hansen, aim to find ways in which students deliberately use writing as a means for understanding content in all areas of learning.

These students, in grades pre-K throught the eleventh grade are responsible, to a large degree, for guiding their own learning.  They typically choose their own topics, or create versions of a class topic, explore various genres, evaluate their own work and determine how they will use writing to make sense of the world around them.  The students' writing is authentic and personally significant.  It is within this framework that the teachers then scaffold more directed writing instruction without squelching the enthusiasm and creativity of their students.